5 facts about ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid

1. What is ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid?

Ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid is part of a wider group of autoimmune conditions called mucous membrane pemphigoid. An autoimmune disease broadly means the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.

2. How prevalent is ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid?

One person in every million has ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid in the UK.

3. How does it affect the eye?

Ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid mainly causes inflammation and scarring of the affected eye tissue and eyelids. The rate at which scarring progresses can vary, leading to irreversible sight loss in particularly severe cases.

4. What are some signs and symptoms of ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid?

Conjunctivitis is often the first symptom of ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid, which means the eyes and eyelids become red and inflamed and may also look and feel sticky. It can range in severity, and the eyes may feel very irritated, sore and painful.

5. How is Ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid diagnosed?

To diagnose ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid, biopsies of the conjunctiva are performed to confirm a suspected diagnosis of ocular pemphigoid. A biopsy is a small piece of tissue taken from the affected area, in this case, the conjunctiva. Anaesthetic drops are put into both eyes so that the biopsy is painless.